Irving Penn at the Art Institute, Theaster Gates at MCA, The Sahmat Collective at Smart Museum, and more

ART & DESIGN

ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGOThrough 5/12Irving Penn: Underfoot. Irving Penn trained our tastes in 20th-century high fashion. As an old man, though, Penn documented humanity’s crusty side: chewed gum, garbage, and sidewalk stains. Through 5/12Picasso and Chicago. It’s now been 100 years since the AIC showed Picasso’s work at the 1913 Armory. To celebrate this centennial, the museum is exhibiting more than 250 works. Through 6/2They Seek a City: Chicago and the Art of Migration, 1910–1950. This exhibition highlights artistic expressions of the immigrant experience. Concurrently, Kara Walker’s Rise Up Ye Mighty Race! (through 8/11) investigates the inheritance of racism in the Obama era. Open Mon–Wed, Fri–Sun 10:30–5; Thu 10:30–8. Free (kids under 14) to $23. 111 S Michigan. artic.edu.

DEPAUL ART MUSEUMThrough 6/30War Baby/Love Child: Mixed Race Asian American Art. This group exhibition proposes that being a mixed-race Asian American is a fertile cultural identity from which poignant conclusions about sexuality, gender, conflict, and creativity can be harvested. 935 W Fullerton. museums.depaul.edu.

MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART5/18–10/6Theaster Gates: 13th Ballad. The museum’s massive atrium will hold remnants from Gates’s recent urban revitalization projects, including objects imported from Germany’s Huguenot House and church pews from the South Side. Through 6/2Destroy the Picture: Painting the Void, 1949–1962. These are shocking paintings brought together from important museum collections. Through 6/18 Jason Lazarus wants to disturb the notion of the museum. He encourages visitors to occupy the MCA, offering replicas of Occupy Wall Street protest signs for participants to carry. Open Tue 10–8, Wed–Sun 10–5. Free (kids under 13) to $12; free Tue for Ill residents. 220 E Chicago. mcachicago.org.

MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHYThrough 6/30Spectator Sports weaves sports and art together, encouraging viewers to scream at their televisions during a game. The show includes works by notable artists including Paul Pfeiffer, Andreas Gursky, and Cory Archangel. 600 S Michigan. mocp.org.

NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUMThrough 5/24Mapping. Two exhibitions consider historical maps and contemporary interpretations of mapping strategies. The topic of mapping has been well tread in contemporary art, but few are the opportunities to encounter antiques alongside newer interpretations. 231 N Annie Glidden, DeKalb. niu.edu/artmuseum.

RENAISSANCE SOCIETY*Critic’s PickThrough 6/23William Pope.L: Forlesen. This solo exhibition is a continuation of Pope.L’s exploration of the socially coded distinctions that define race relations in America. Rather than damning or finger-pointing, his perspective is often self-reflective, funny, and difficult. Free. 5811 S Ellis. renaissancesociety.org.

SMART MUSEUMThrough 6/9The Sahmat Collective: Art and Activism in India Since 1989. This is the first Midwest survey of the well-known Indian art and activist group. Free. Open Tue–Wed 10–5, Thu 10–8, Fri–Sun 10–5. 5550 S Greenwood. smartmuseum.uchicago.edu.

SOUTH SIDE COMMUNITY ART CENTER5/3–7/7The Philosophy of AfriCOBRA. Though still active today, the African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists, or AfriCOBRA, made their most significant contributions in Chicago in the 1970s. This is the first of three retrospective shows taking place this year. 3831 S Michigan. southsidecommunityartcenter.com.

SWEDISH AMERICAN MUSEUMThrough 6/23Entangled Routes. The Klassen brothers and their mother revel in the geography, natural materials, culture, and myths of Sweden. 5211 N Clark. swedishamericanmuseum.org.

UKRAINIAN INSTITUTE OF MODERN ARTThrough 6/2 The museum continues to uncover distinct artistic unions. Bruce Thorn, Paul Lamantia, and John Kurtz draw upon a Chicago tradition of image-making in the Ed Paschke vein. Their canvases explode with mesmerizing, cartoonish faces and forms. 2320 W Chicago. uima-chicago.org.

FIELD MUSEUMThrough 6/16 Fashion and the Field Museum Collection: Maria Pinto. Pinto weaves stories about how garments from the museum’s collection relate to present-day fashion. Through 9/8 Creatures of Light: Nature’s Bioluminescence. This new show illuminates the many creatures, from fireflies to deep-sea fish, that use self-produced light in nature. Open daily 9–5. General admission free (kids under 3) to $15; all-access passes $21–$30. 1400 S Lake Shore. fieldmuseum.org. *Child Friendly.

SCIENCE, NATURE, KIDS

MITCHELL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN INDIANThrough 9/8 The museum showcases a new exhibition of artifacts from its permanent collection. $3–$5. Open Tue–Sat 10–5, Thu 10–8, Sun 12–4. 3001 Central, Evanston. mitchellmuseum.org.

MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRYThrough 9/2Animal Inside Out. This exhibit showcases more than 100 specimens preserved through the process of plastination. Timed-entry tickets required, $12–$20, which include general admission. Open daily 9:30–4. Free (kids under 3) to $15. 57th and Lake Shore. msichicago.org. *Child Friendly.